Developers seeking a license for a slot machine facility in the Canal District detailed their plans for the first time Wednesday, billing the $240 million project as an economic boost that would bring hundreds of jobs to the city.

The slots project is tied to a plan to build an upscale hotel in the downtown area. Together, the two buildings could add 600 jobs to the local economy.

Executives from Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming LLC said the $200 million gambling facility on the Wyman-Gordon property on Madison Street would include 1,250 slot machines — the maximum allowed by state law. The 120,000-square foot building would also house two restaurants, a food court, a bar and possibly a day spa.

Along with the slots parlor — but in a different location — hotel developer Richard L. Friedman of Cambridge wants to build a $40 million full-service hotel with 150 to 200 guest rooms, ample meeting space, restaurants and a ballroom.

The developers, who have paid the $400,000 fee to apply with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, shared their plans with the Telegram & Gazette before spending the afternoon in closed-door meetings with city councilors.

Neil G. Bluhm, chairman of Rush Street Gaming, and a longtime developer of hotels, shopping centers and more recently, casinos, said he was drawn to Worcester's central location.

“We think this is a natural place to have a casino,” he said.

Worcester is also ideal for a full-scale casino that includes table games, he said. But state law allows for only one casino in the eastern part of the state, which stretches from the Worcester area to Boston. Instead of competing for the sole casino license in the eastern zone, or considering a casino project in Western Massachusetts, Rush Street settled on a slots parlor in Worcester. The project is still unnamed.

“We've looked around the state, and we really like this situation,” Mr. Bluhm said. “We decided that we'd rather do slots-only here than a full service in Springfield.”

Rush Street is competing with three other companies for the state's sole slots parlor license. State law also allows for up to three resort casinos, which would include table games and entertainment spaces. The projects will need state and local approval.

Mr. Bluhm, who invested in the Copley Place and Faneuil Hall developments in Boston, has established a local company, Mass Gaming & Entertainment LLC, to manage the Worcester slots project.

Mr. Bluhm completed his first casino project in 2004 on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. He later opened casinos in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Des Plaines, Ill.

In Worcester, Rush Street Gaming hopes to draw patrons from the 700,000 people who live within 30 minutes of the city, according to Chief Executive Officer Greg Carlin.

He stressed that the slots parlor would fit with the character of the Canal District. It would be made of brick and glass, inspired by the architecture of a 19th century mill. And it would let in something many casinos don't — natural light.

“It will feel like it belongs in the neighborhood, it's not dropped in,” said Mr. Friedman, president and CEO of Carpenter & Co. Inc. of Cambridge. “It's designed to reinforce the neighborhood.”

The developers said they would use existing streets and roads to service the facility. They're conducting a traffic analysis but said the only improvements likely needed are a traffic light or two.

The slots parlor would employ up to 450 people, from cashiers to bartenders to tech professionals. The hotel would employ 150 to 250 people.

The hotel is linked to the slots project — developers vowed not to build one without the other — but it would serve a different customer base.

City officials have advocated for a downtown hotel, and Mr. Friedman said he has been thinking about building a hotel in Worcester for many years. Financial backing from Mr. Bluhm's slots facility would help make the hotel profitable, Mr. Friedman said.

The hotel would be somewhere in the downtown. Mr. Friedman didn't say which downtown locations he was considering or if CitySquare was one of them.

“On its own, the kind of hotel we would be building would not be economic without some assistance,” he said. “The casino is a vehicle to make a hotel a reality.”

Mr. Bluhm added: They're really two separate projects, although they are contingent on each other.”

The developers held a series of meetings with city councilors Wednesday afternoon. District 2 Councilor Philip P. Palmieri emerged from a meeting and said he liked what he heard and saw.

“I was impressed with what was said and how they want to move forward,” he said. “These are first-class business people, and they were real professionals without question.”

Councilors generally refrained from praising or criticizing the project. “Our obligation is to make sure we have a good host agreement,” Mayor Joseph M. Petty said.

City Councilor Kathleen M. Toomey said, “This group has certainly done their homework in terms of the community.”

Rush Street Gaming executives plan to return to Worcester for a public meeting within a few weeks.

Contact Priyanka Dayal McCluskey at pdayal@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @Priyanka_Dayal. Bob Kievra of the Telegram & Gazette staff contributed to this report.